Times Staff / ERIC HARTLINECSX train is stopped on Main Street in Darby where it struck and injured an eleven year old boy early Tuesday morning.

DARBY BOROUGH -- An 11-year-old boy was struck by a southbound CSX train at Sixth and Main streets Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:45 a.m. as the train was traveling through the borough from North Bergen, N.J., to Jacksonville, Fla.

According to Police Chief Robert Smythe, witnesses said the boy and his brothers were walking near the tracks when the 11-year-old got too close to the passing train.

"The train hits him and throws him," Smythe said.

Advertisement

The boy was initially taken by ambulance to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital where he was stabilized, then he was transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He suffered multiple injuries, but was listed in stable condition, Smythe said.

Witnesses told police that the CSX train appeared to be traveling faster than the 30 mph speed limit when the accident occurred, police said.

"The trains are only supposed to go so fast, but an eye witness said it was moving faster than normal," Smythe said. "This train didn't stop until it crossed the trestle and was almost in Sharon Hill."

This is the second time in less than a month a pedestrian has been struck by a train at that location.

At 12:30 p.m. on June 25, a woman was struck and killed by a CSX train there.

"In both accidents, the engineers were laying on the horn," Smythe said. "It's not like they didn't see them."

The police chief said his investigators are not getting the cooperation they need from CSX. For example, he said, they've requested the train's video from the prior accident, but were told they will not get a copy.

"We just found out this morning that CSX said we can't give you a copy, you can only view it," Smythe said. "That's not what we need. We need a copy."

Smythe said the train's engineer Tuesday refused to walk back to the spot where the boy was struck to be interviewed.

"Is it too far to walk, too far to walk when you hit a kid?" he asked. "We sent a cop up there. They're uncooperative people."

As investigators try to determine why the boy was hit by the train, police remind pedestrians to be mindful where they walk near the train tracks. Getting too close to a passing train is extremely dangerous, they said.

"This is two in 10 days," Smythe said. "I can't remember the last time that happened."